Trapped
by Katief20
Summary: Nick Rowan is caught up in a robbery at the Aidensfield Arms
1. Chapter 1

It was a Friday evening in January in Aidensfield and despite the bitter cold and freezing weather the Aidensfield Arms had had a busy night. Gina Ward thankfully closed the big heavy front door of the pub behind the last customer and bolted it top and bottom.

"Thank goodness for that was beginning to think they had no homes to go to!" she said to her Uncle George who was collecting glasses, somewhat wearily.

"Aye, be here all night if they were let," he said with a sigh.

Gina took a quick glance at him, he really did seem very tired and she felt not for the first time some concern for him. He wasn't getting any younger.

"Eh, Uncle George, why don't I finish down here?" she said now. "You go on off to bed."

"I can't leave you with all this, Gina," he said but she saw the temptation on his face.

"You can if I'm given a night off next week to go to the pictures with Phil Bellamy," she said. "Now go on, off you go, before I change my mind."

He smiled. "You're a good girl Gina."

They both jumped suddenly as there was a loud banging at the rear door of the pub. They looked at each other startled then hurried into the pub's large kitchen. "Who is it?" George called.

"I need help," a man's voice shouted. "My wife's ill – we were out in the car – and the phone box isn't working. She needs help, urgent like. Please help us!"

"Uncle George!" Gina dashed forward as her uncle hesitated. "We have to help them!" And she pulled back the bolts on the door and turned the key even as George began to say, "Wait a minute Gina," for he was thinking, if someone was passing through the village and needed help why did they come to the rear door of the pub, it would be more sensible for them to bang on the front door surely?

Too late. Gina pulled open the door and three men in boiler suits and balaclavas bearing sawn off shotguns pushed their way in, one grabbing Gina's arm and roughly pushing her at her Uncle. She screamed and George put his arms round her trying to protect her. Another man came in and slammed the door behind him.

"Shut her up!" he told George menacingly.

"Gina, its all right love," he said holding the sobbing girl tightly to him

"I let them in Uncle George, its all my fault."

"No love, its all right. Come on be a brave girl for me."

"Into the bar old man," the robber who had spoken said now. "You're going to sit down and keep quiet – the pair of you – and let us get what we've come for. And when we've got it we'll go and neither of you will get hurt if you do as you're told. Now move!"

George and Gina were forced back into the bar. They sat down at a table. George kept his arms tightly around Gina trying to soothe her – she was terrified. One of the armed robbers stood over them making sure they didn't move at all. The others got to work emptying the till of its takings, removing crates of stock, raiding the cigarette machine. They worked quickly and systematically not even bothering to look at their two hostages.

Just as it seemed the robbers work was completed – everything they wanted had been taken out of the rear door and loaded into a van they had waiting in the rear yard of the pub – there was a loud bang on the front door of the pub causing everyone, including the robbers, to jump.

The robber who had spoken to Gina and George and who seemed to be in charge cautiously moved to the pub window. The curtain was drawn across and he looked carefully through a small gap trying to see who was stood at the door. The pub's outside lights were still on and it was easy to pick out the figure illuminated in the light.

"It's the village copper," he said to the other gang members.

"Jesus Christ, someone must have seen something, reported it in," one man said.

"Yeah right," the first man scoffed. "If they thought anything was going off here, they wouldn't send one bobby would they? They'd send a van full."

At that moment George put in, "All the pub lights are on, in and out." He spoke flatly. "He'll have been passing, seen the lights and stopped to check I'm not having a lock in." He cleared his throat. "Let me get rid of him."

"No," the gang leader said. "You'll let him in. If you don't want your pretty friend here to get hurt." As he said this another man stepped behind Gina putting his arm round her throat pulling the poor girl up out of her chair toward him..

"Don't hurt her!" George lunged forward but the first man barred his way. "Let the copper in, "he said, "and we won't have to."

George closed his eyes mormentarily knowing he had no choice. He silently and heavily went to the door and opened it. Nick Rowan was standing there looking both impatient and puzzled.

"Just on my way home from Ashfordly and noticed all your lights are on George," he said. "Not serving after hours are we?"

"Well." George stammered. He looked back at what Nick couldn't see, his pretty young niece being roughed up by some thug with a gun. What could he do?

"I'm that sorry Nick," George muttered.

Nick frowned. "It's all right George. I don't think you're planning the Great Train Robbery! But I do need to come in?"

George stepped back from the door and closed his eyes. Nick stepped through the door and before he could see or register anything a gun barrel was brought down across the side of his head. He went down instantly.

Gina sobbed wildly as two of the robbers hauled Nick fully into the pub and dumped him on the floor. The one who had hit Nick slammed and locked the pub door again. Gina was released by the man holding her and she immediately tried to get to Nick but was roughly pulled away and pushed to her Uncle who grabbed her tightly.

"Sit back down the pair of you!" the man who had hit Nick snapped and miserably they did so all the time watching Nick trying to gauge how badly he was hurt.

He was beginning to come round even as they sat back down and the man who had hit him leaned over him. With a groan Nick opened his eyes and blinked trying to clear his vision. As his eyes focused he saw George and Gina sitting at a table with a boiler suit clad, masked figure brandishing a gun standing over them.

"Are – you all right?" Nick managed to ask them.

"Fine lad, we're worried about you," George said soothingly.

The man leaning over Nick snapped, "Shut up all of you! Right we need to start thinking about getting out of here." He looked at one of his cohorts. "Has he got any wheels outside?"

One man went to look. "A motorbike."

"Get out there and move it round the back. Go through the rear entrance and make sure you're not seen. When you come back we need to get the van fully loaded and then we need to get moving."

As this man sped off the first man looked at one of the others. "Help me with him." He nodded at Nick. "Get that bag we brought. We'll use that for him and lock these two in the cellar."

"No." George spoke angrily. "You said you'd do what you came for and then go. You said nowt about leaving us in cold cellars."

"Yeah like I'm giving you the opportunity to call in the cavalry minute we walk out that door." The man looked up as one of the gang came in with a small bag and walked over to Nick.

Nick, lying on his side, blood oozing from the cut on his head watched them trying to hide the anxiety he was feeling wondering what they were planning. He was about to find out.

He was pulled onto his front and his handcuffs removed from his belt. The man who had hit him then forced his hands painfully up behind his back and put the cuffs on. The other man removed Nick's tie and used this to tie his legs together.

As Nick was pulled on his side again the first man then pulled out of the bag a neck scarf and a piece of rag. Nick began to get an idea of what was coming then and felt his breathing quicken although he tried to control it.

The first man knelt behind Nick then roughly grabbed hold of him in a vice one hand cupping his jaw the other holding Nick's nose. Nick held on for a bit then had to take in some air and opened his mouth to breathe. The other man then forced in the piece of rag and used the neck scarf to tie it in place.

The men stood up watching as Nick fought to remove the tight gag by rubbing his face against the floor without any success at all. Gina was sobbing almost hysterically by now as George pleaded with the men. "You can't leave him like that, he can hardly breathe, he'll choke."

"Cellars. Now. Move," was the only reply he got and the two were reluctantly forced to the stairs down to the steep cellars. They were pushed down the steps and the cellar door was slammed shut and locked behind them.

They would have been in darkness but there was electric light down there and George snapped it on. He held Gina tightly as they sat down on the cold cellar floor. She was crying and very distressed. Suddenly she stopped and looked up at her Uncle.

"Uncle George! You keep a spare key down here don't you. Just in case anyone gets locked in here by mistake!"

George looked miserably at her. "Aye. It were on top of that ledge there. But last week I knocked it on the floor and pushed it in my coat pocket and well I didn't put it back again…"

Gina stared at him in horror. "Uncle George! What are we going to do?"

"Well, well….we'll get found eventually like. And Nick Rowan, Kate'll start asking questions won't she when he doesn't come home tonight."

"But she isn't home!" Gina gasped as she remembered something. "She's gone to London for a few days to see a relative who isn't well or something. An Aunt. What does it matter? She's not at home is what I'm saying so Nick won't be missed. You heard him say that he'd finished his shift and was on his way home. So they won't know he's missing and nor will Kate. Oh Uncle George what are we going to do? Nick can't be left like that, he will choke or suffocate! We have to get help Uncle George! We have to!"


	2. Chapter 2

Despite Gina's protestations there was no way out of that cellar. There was the wooden trapdoor through which deliveries were made from the street but there was no one around at that time of night to hear Gina's frenetic banging on the door. The door from the pub down to the cellars was impenetrable. In short herself and her Uncle were trapped.

Nick Rowan meantime was also trapped, lying on the cold floor of the bar tightly bound and gagged. He had dried blood down his face from the cut on his head. Like the captives in the cellar he too fought to get free, battling with the handcuffs despite knowing they wouldn't give and rubbing his face along the floor trying to loosen the gag. Futile. He fought until he was literally too exhausted to struggle any more.

Down in the cellars Gina meantime miserably joined George who was sat on some boxes and they huddled together to try to keep warm. There were no deliveries in the morning. Heaven knew when help would come.

Daylight came at about eight o' clock the next morning. Travelling the moor in his Land Rover farmer Joseph Brierley braked cautiously (the roads being very icy). He got out of the Land Rover to take a closer look at what had caught his eye.

There was a reasonably steep slope from the road onto the moor at this point and lying beneath the road on its side was a medium sized van. Clearly it had left the road perhaps skidding on the ice.

Joseph cautiously got down the slope from the road and hastened to the van to see if there was anyone trapped in it. He did see the van had shed some of its load – there were some crates and so on lying about – but he didn't take stock of that at the moment.

He opened the uppermost passenger door and peered down into the cabin. He got something of a shock. Two men were in the front both wearing boiler suits. Both were clearly dead and in the well of the cabin were two sawn off shotguns.

Knowing now what he had found was something way beyond the ordinary Joseph nevertheless bravely opened the rear of the van. There were two more men in here, and again both were beyond help. They were similarly dressed to the other two and they also had rifles with them.

Joseph also noticed the crates in the van contained bottles of alcohol, spirits mainly. Some were cracked and broken some had survived. It was a wonder the vehicle had not exploded really on impact.

"Funny business this," Joseph muttered with masterly understatement. He pondered for a moment then cautiously left the scene and returned to the Land Rover. A phone box was just a little way down the road at the cross roads. He would ring PC Rowan at Aidensfield and let him deal with this.

So of course the phone rang at the Police House and no one replied. Joseph thought for a minute. The situation could not be left. So he picked the phone up again and asked the operator for a transfer to Ashfordly Police. He did not think of dialling 999 his logic being if the van occupants were dead there could not be an emergency!

Phil Bellamy and Alf Ventress were hoping for quiet shifts that day but it wasn't going to happen. Nick Rowan was due on shift and hadn't turned up despite Phil discreetly trying to raise him on the radio and Alf phoning the Police House. Then the phone rang shrilly. Alf picked it up and Phil saw him visibly sit up in his seat, grab a pen, make notes. Then the older constable put down the phone and got up shouting for Oscar Blaketon.

"Joseph Brierley at Clouds End. Found a wagon overturned on the moor just off the Aidensfield Road. Four men in the van all dead. And according to Joseph there were also sawn offs in the van and crates of booze and fags."

"Right Find out where Nick Rowan is," Blaketon said crisply pulling on his greatcoat. "I want him to meet me out there. He can explain to me why he's not turned up for duty this morning at the same time."

"Well." Ventress cleared his throat. "Joseph tried phoning Aidensfield first Sarge. But there was no reply like."

"No reply? Well where is our PC Rowan? Has he been called out?"

Phil and Alf glanced at each other. "Nothing Sarge," Phil said. "Nowt since he went off shift last night any road. We have tried raising him when he didn't come in this morning but …..."

"Right. Well Bellamy you can come with me and you Ventress, you get over to the Police House in Aidensfield and find our missing Constable would you? And when you do tell him I want to see him in my office minute I get back!"

Joseph met Sergeant Blaketon and PC Bellamy at the scene and they wordlessly scrambled down to the van. Between them Blaketon and Bellamy checked the van occupants for any sign of life but confirmed the situation hopeless.

Careful not to disturb the scene and preserve evidence, Blaketon crouched down and looked at one of the split crates. "Take a look at that Bellamy," he said.

Phil looked down then sharply at Oscar. "An address label for the Aidensfield Arms," he said.

"Aye. So it looks like they turned over the Aidensfield Arms last night and crashed making their get away. But we've had no call for help from George or Gina which means…"

"They were left in a position where they couldn't get help," Phil looked pale suddenly. He was very fond of Gina.

"We need to get there," Oscar said. He looked up as a second police car pulled in. "Here's young Bradley. He can call in the cavalry and keep this lot secure. We need to get to the Arms and see what's happening there. Get hold of Ventress and ask him to meet us there."

"Sarge." Phil spoke earnestly. "Nick is missing. George and Gina haven't been heard from and the pub has been done over. We think. Could Nick have walked in on whatever happened last night on his way home from Ashfordly?"

"Well put it this way." Blaketon paused. "I wouldn't be a bit surprised lad. Not at all. Come on."


	3. Chapter 3

When Phil Bellamy and Sergeant Oscar Blaketon arrived at the front of the Aidensfield Arms Alf Ventress was already there. He had tried the pub's front door finding it locked. He noticed the curtains were drawn across the windows. There were no lights on (the robbers had turned these out as they left).

Alf was just about to go around the back when his two colleagues arrived. "Had a look around the front Sarge – front door locked, windows shut and curtains drawn across," he said stolidly. "I've tried banging on the front door of course but – well, no one is answering any road."

"Right. Round the back then," Oscar Blaketon replied.

They walked down the side of the pub and into its rear yard. The first thing they saw was Nick Rowan's motorcycle. The police officers looked at each other.

"So your theory might hold water Bellamy," Sergeant Blaketon said to his constable. "We need to get in there."

They tried the rear door of the pub, this too was locked. Blaketon wasted no more time. He broke the glass in the door with his truncheon. Putting his hand in he found the key of the door in the lock. He turned it and the door opened.

The three officers entered cautiously. There was no one in the kitchens. They walked up into the bar area noting the till was hanging open and the cigarette machine had been broken into. They walked around the front of the bar and found Nick on the floor.

"Christ!" Oscar knelt down behind Nick as the other two watched anxiously. The Sergeant leaned over Nick, and put two fingers on his neck feeling for the pulse. Looking up, Oscar gasped, "He's alive. Ventress, are there any scissors around the bar, or a sharp knife. Careful what you touch mind. And let me have that tea towel on the bar. Bellamy, we need to find George and Gina Ward now. God knows what state they're in."

Phil hesitated as he looked down at Nick. "Go on lad," Blaketon said firmly. "We've got him, we'll look after him. But we need to help the other two an' all."

Phil moved away to search the rest of the pub and Alf wordlessly came back with some scissors and the required towel. He watched as Blaketon gently lifted Nick's head and put the towel underneath. They exchanged glances when they saw the scrapes and abrasions on Nick's face.

"Poor sod," muttered Alf. "Been trying to get that gag free no doubt."

"Aye." Carefully Oscar wielded the scissors and cut away the binding holding the gag in place. He then gently opened Nick's mouth and pulled out the rag.

Immediately Nick coughed, retched and was very sick onto the towel Oscar had put in place.

"Well done lad, you get it up now that's it." Oscar put a comforting hand on Nick's arm, at the same time exchanging a glance with Alf.

"If he'd been sick like that with that rag in his mouth," Alf said but didn't finish the sentence. They both knew what might have happened.

Oscar looked down at Nick again. The young constable's eyes stayed closed. Oscar stroked Nick's hair back trying to assess the extent of the head injury.

"If you lift him Sarge, just a bit, I'll get the cuffs off and we can bring his arms forward . Be more comfortable for him, like." Alf suggested.

"Aye." Oscar waited whilst Alf undid the handcuffs and then Oscar lifted Nick very slightly. This allowed Alf to bring Nick's arms forward meaning a more comfortable position for Nick who still lay on his side motionless.

"Look at these deep cuts on his wrists," Alf said to his sergeant.

"He's obviously tried to get free for quite some time," Blaketon said. He put a hand on Nick's shoulder. And for someone usually so gruff and blustering Blaketon's voice was startlingly gentle as he said to Nick. "Eh I'm sorry lad. If we'd known we'd have got to you long before this."

At that point they heard voices just outside the bar and looked up. In the door way was Phil with a tearful Gina and a pale faced George.

"Locked in t' cellar, Sarge," Phil said. "Here come on you two sit down here that's it."

"Nick, how's Nick?" Gina asked as she sat down next to her Uncle who put his arm around her.

"Well he's not in great shape, but we'll get him looked after." Oscar looked at Alf who got up to go the car and radio in for assistance and an ambulance. Blaketon looked at George.

"This bang on t' head the lad's had…" he said.

"Well it didn't seem too bad," George said. "He weren't out that long and when he did open his eyes he seemed with it almost at once if you know what I mean. He asked how me and Gina were – seemed worried about us."

Phil knelt sadly by Nick and put a comforting hand on his friend's leg willing him to wake up. Oscar leaned back over Nick again.

"Come on lad, make an effort and open your eyes for us eh?" But there was no response. The two police officers exchanged anxious glances.

"How – how did you find us?" George looked tired and bewildered.

"The men who did you over last night – their van was found this morning," Blaketon told him. "It came off the road up on the moor as they made their getaway. Found the van full of crates from the pub. The men were still in it with sawn offs and we realised what had gone on. We weren't sure Nick was here but we knew it was possible as no one had seen any sight of him since he left the station last night."

"And the men in the van?" George asked.

Phil shook his head.

"Got their just desserts then didn't they!" Gina said savagely. Oscar and Phil looked at each other as they knelt each side of Nick's motionless body. They couldn't agree openly with such a sentiment but looking down at their colleague they couldn't help but feel some sympathy with Gina's view.

Alf came in at that minute and behind him was Kate Rowan's colleague Dr James Radcliffe.

"Bit of luck Sarge," he said, "Dr Radcliffe was just getting some petrol for his car and asked if he could be any help to us. I've told him what's happened."

"There's an ambulance on the way." James Radcliffe was carrying his bag and a small oxygen kit. He knelt beside Nick and Phil moved aside to give more room. As James carried out a quick examination he looked across at George and Gina. "I'll have a look at you two in aminute as well," he said.

"We're fine, just look after the lad," George said quietly.

Oscar Blaketon watched James lift Nick's eyelids and shine in a torch. He watched the doctor listen to Nick's heart rate and move aside as much of the young constable's clothing as possible to check for any bruises and abrasions. The doctor also silently noted the deep lacerations on Nick's wrists and the scrapes on his face. Gently he also examined Nick's mouth and pointed out to Oscar a deep cut on Nick's lip. "I'd guess," he said, "whoever forced that rag into his mouth had a ring on and the ring has caught his lip, here."

Blaketon nodded. "He was very sick when we got the gag out," he told James.

"I'm not surprised. We're lucky he wasn't sick with it in," James replied. He sat back. "Well,he's very cold so lets get that blanket I've brought with me over him and I'll give him some oxygen see if it helps at all. I thought he might have come round by now so I'm a bit worried. There could be something more going on with the head injury then is apparent but I just don't know."


	4. Chapter 4

Sergeant Blaketon gently covered Nick up with the blanket as Phil used the scissors Alf had found to cut away the tie still binding Nick's legs together. In the meantime James Radcliffe set up the small oxygen kit and put the mask over Nick's nose and mouth.

After a few breaths Nick's eyes flickered and Blaketon leaned over him. "If you can hear me Rowan open your bloody eyes!" he said in a tone of voice much more like the one Nick was used to hearing from him. It seemed to do the trick as Nick coughed weakly, lifted a hand to push the oxygen mask away and finally, wearily, opened his eyes.

"Well done!" James took away the oxygen mask and put a hand on Nick's arm . "How are you feeling?"

Nick attempted to put a hand to his aching head but James stopped him. "You've had a bit of a bang on the head I'm afraid," he said, "but I think you'll mend."

"Wh- what day is it?" Nick asked.

"Saturday lad. You got yourself mixed up in a robbery here last night. Do you remember?" his sergeant asked gently.

"Yeah." Then Nick suddenly seemed to become more alert. "George – Gina –"

"They're here, they're fine," James said soothingly. "You can't see but they're sat just over there in the corner. They've had a rather miserable night in the cellar I grant you and I need to make sure they're both in one piece but they do seem in fairly good order."

"How did you find us?" Nick asked.

The police officers exchanged glances and Oscar Blaketon then looked at the doctor for a lead. James nodded.

"After the robbery, they put your bike round the back," Oscar said, "and made off. Driving at speed, icy roads, well… they came off the road near Clouds End Farm. Van were found on the moor this morning. Well, when we found 'em still in the van with sawn offs and boxes from the Aidensfield Arms, we realised summat were up. And when we couldn't find you at the same time we had a feeling you might be here."

"Which you were," Phil said with a grin.

Nick seemed to take a minute to process this information. Then, "The blokes who did the place over – how bad -"

Alf and Phil exchanged a glance. Nick said in a low voice, "All of them?"

"Aye," said Blaketon, "but I wouldn't waste any more thought on it. They didn't waste any thoughts for you when they left you in this state."

Nick closed his eyes a minute, then, "Help me sit up."

"Now I wouldn't recommend that," James said. "You keep still and the ambulance will be here very soon."

But Nick insisted and rather reluctantly James allowed Phil to help Nick move onto his back and finally weakly sit up leaning against his Sergeant.

"How does that feel?" James asked him.

"Yeah, better." Nick looked at his wrists wincing at the deep cuts. He cautiously touched his sore lip. "I don't need an ambulance."

"Oh yes you do," James said. "You're going to hospital and that's the end of it. Kate will make mincemeat of me if I don't insist."

"Don't worry Doctor," Oscar Blaketon said grimly, "he's going to hospital if I have to drag him there myself!"

Phil, feeling more relaxed seeing his mate sitting up albeit rather battered around the edges went to sit with Gina. Putting an arm round her he said, "See? It'll be fine I promise."

She looked at her Uncle George sitting there so still and pale. He seemed very shocked. Sadly Gina thought Phil's prediction all would be fine was rather a flawed one.

Kate had been told about the events of the night before by a short phone call from Oscar Blaketon. Her Aunt was much better and Kate felt able to leave straight away via the mid day train heading North. Despite Oscar's assurances Nick's injuries did not seem as serious as first thought and relatively superficial (albeit he had had a lucky escape) Kate knew she would not rest until she had seen her husband for herself.

Sitting in the carriage on the train Kate let her head rest against the window staring out into the gathering gloom willing the train to get her home as fast as possible.

It was dark by the time her train pulled into Aidensfield's small station. She stepped down from the carriage with her case. Illuminated in the light from the station waiting room was Oscar Blaketon. Stepping forward he spoke sharply, concisely, telling her only what she needed to know. Anyone watching them without hearing the words would have known from Kate's change of expression from tenseness to wide smile and finally flinging her arms around the rather startled police sergeant would have known the news she had been given was good.

She and Oscar Blaketon left the station together where he had left his car in the station yard.

"Dr Radcliffe wanted your husband to stay in hospital Dr Rowan," Blaketon explained as he put her case in the boot of his car. "But I'm afraid young Nick wasn't having none of it. So we brought him home and young Bellamy's been looking after him. Although he'll be wanting to get back to the Aidensfield Arms to young Gina I reckon."

Kate looked soberly at Oscar as they got in the car. "How is George bearing up?" she asked. "He's not been too good recently."

Blaketon paused a moment and then started the car. "Well. He's pretty shaken like. It might be that it won't be too long before George has to give up the pub . At least that's what I reckon Dr Radcliffe was thinking any road."

As they arrived at the Police House Oscar stopped the car at the foot of the path leading from the lane to the House. "I'll not come in Dr Rowan," he said. "You'll want some time alone I reckon. Tell that daft beggar Bellamy to make himself scarce and I'll drop him off at the Arms if he's quick enough."

Kate looked at him really seeing Nick's sergeant in a new light. But she knew to acknowledge this would embarrass him so she said simply, "Thank you Sergeant."

She left the car, collected her case and began to walk up the path. The door to the House opened and Phil came out. He spoke with her, a few words. Then she walked past him into the Police House and shut the door. Without a glance back Phil walked down the path to the waiting police car.

Kate went into the house. The small living room was lit by the light of one lamp only. On the couch Nick was sleeping. She paused assessing the visual damage. A stitched lip. Dressed and bandaged wrists. A dressing on the cut on his head. She quietly stepped forward, leaned down and kissed him.

Nick's eyes snapped open, momentarily startled, then he registered it was her. "Hey." He held out his arms to her and she sat down on the couch holding him close, her eyes wet with tears.

"God Nick," She gulped back tears. "Oscar told me – you could have died.."

"Hey come on," he said gently. "I've been waiting all day for you to get home and when you do…."

"I blub all over you!" she cut across with a half laugh. "God Nick I was so scared when Oscar phoned me at Aunt Eileen's house. I can't tell you what I thought…what I was afraid of.."

He took her hands gently. "I'm all right love. I'm fine. I'm still here."

She pushed his hair back from his face. "Don't think I'm ever, ever leaving you on your own again Nick Rowan!" she said with mock fierceness.

He reached for her gently. "I'm glad to hear it," he said softly.


End file.
